Forever His & His Ghost

Chapter 7: The Halloween Party

       Marie was currently doing my hair while I let my nails dry for tonight's party. She gushed over my story last night and told me it was a true love story I should tell someday. I just laughed at her cheesy words.

      I didn't sleep hardly any at all last night, Jaxon was in every dark spot in my dreams and that smile had me smiling in my sleep all night. Marie and I started with breakfast at the diner and then we spent the day shopping for the perfect costumes. I didn't really want to go with your typical, witch, or I could have gone like Darlene was going, a playboy bunny, then there was a naughty schoolgirl costume that me and Marie had talked about the rest of the day. We finally decided to go with the masquerade ball theme, the large puffy ball gowns, floor length and masks. My gown was a dark brandy color with silver wings, and Marie's was a teal colored with silver wings also. We died her hair so that no one would recognize her, and we left mine down, cause well, no one has seen mine down in full length. I always left it in a braid, or messy bun.

        "Girl you are going to blow them out of the water." She giggled helping me in my dress.

       "I don't know about all that, but it is nice for once to feel pretty." I swirled around in the mirror looking at myself in every angle. And for the first time in my life, I felt like the bell of the ball.

        "You guys almost ready?" Mark hollered from downstairs.

        "Be right down," Marie hollered back. "Tell me why again we had to get ready here?" She quirked a brow grabbing our masks and ushering me out the door.

        "Because, neither of us wanted to deal with Darlene or Samantha who are at my house getting ready."

        "Right, right," She snickered.

       "Wow you guys look stunning." Mark smiled from the bottom of the steps as he took one of us on each arm. "Are you sure we can't walk in like this? I mean the two prettiest girls in the room on my arm, even though one is my sister, but no one has to know that right now."

       We both laughed as we made our way out to Marie's mom's van. Mark agreed to drive it tonight so there was plenty of room for our gowns. "Now remember the plan. You drop and run, come in after." I reminded Mark. He just nodded and drove out of the driveway.

       Jaxon had been calling and texting all day wanting to know, when, where, what time, what was I wearing. Finally, I told him, if he found me before midnight, he could kiss me. All he said was game on, princess. I smiled inwardly thinking about him, and his words.

       After twenty minutes Mark pulled through a set of opened rot iron gates and the biggest freaking house, I had ever seen in my life sat in front of us. It looked just like the white house but a little smaller version, heck it might be the same size for all I know. When Mark parked in the circle drive in front of the walkway to the house where a butler stood opening the door and offering his hand, I froze. No, nope, no, nope, no, can't do this. I chanted to myself and sank back in the van.

       "You better come on before anyone sees us with Mark." Marie fussed grabbing my hand and pulling me out to my feet.

       My eyes went wide taking in the surroundings, there was so much detail I could barely even take it all in and describe it properly, but it all shouted money, royalty, wealth beyond my dreams.

       "How much did you say this family was worth?" I whispered in Marie's ear.

      "Billions my dear." She smiled interlocking her arm with mine and we ventured up the red outdoor carpet leading the way to the side entrance.

       "A freaking ball room," I screeched yet again in Marie's ear as we entered the door only to come face to face with a huge ballroom, looking like I stepped back a thousand years ago and was walking into the Queen's ball.

       "Yep, now come on, let's mingle." She pulled me into the crowd, but all I could do was stare at my surroundings.

       The gold wallpaper, the banisters and pillars all decorated in gold and silver, the huge chandeliers that looked like they weighed a thousand pounds apiece hanging over the dance floor. The lights were off, but they had strobe lights bouncing off the chandeliers, causing all shades of light flickers to bounce around the room, magical is all I could think.

      "Marie, where are we going?" I finally took my eyes away from everything and focused on her in front of me, the music was kind of loud and I could see people dancing.

       "Sit," she pointed to the seat next to a small table. "I am going to get something to drink."

       I just nodded and let my eyes roam once again, there were so many different costumes, witches, clowns, skeletons, a ton of vampires, a few like mine and Marie's and then I spotted Darlene and Samantha. They were dressed identical, right down to the ears, and cotton balls on their butts for the tail. Seriously, playboy bunnies, we are sixteen and at a family party, who dresses like that at this age. In a few minutes my eyes found Preston and his friends, and they were all dressed like cowboys, chaps, hats, spurs and all. I couldn't hide the smile, moving here wasn't such a bad idea after all, Preston had found good friends and had managed to keep his butt out of trouble. I knew who I was really looking for though, I continued to move my eyes around the room, until my vision was blocked with a smiling Marie in front of me with two glasses of punch.

       "Drink, then we are dancing." She demanded and I watched as she nervously tapped her foot drinking her punch and looking around. I followed suit and in a minute our punch was gone, and I felt ready to live a little. "Come on." She grabbed my arm and pulled me out to the dance floor in the middle of the crowd.

       The music seemed to get louder, and I instantly forgot all my worries as we danced and swayed to the music. I saw Preston approaching us, and in a split second he had an arm around Marie and was swaying with her. She didn't seem to mind, and I didn't either. She whispered in his ear, and he looked at me and then back to her before nodding his head and walking away.

       I grabbed her arms and pulled her to me, "What was that?"

       "I just told him to keep it a secret who we are." She grabbed my arms and swung up and around, "Now let's dance."

      The music slowed down and I grabbed her arm moving her back to the table and she went after some more punch, while I tried to catch my breath and cool off. And then I saw him, walking down the steps, he was looking around, like he was looking for something. I had to sit on my hands to keep from waving him over, let him find me, I thought to myself. I watched some of the guys stop him, shake his hand and they talked for a second, his eyes never stopped searching. Then my heart dropped, Samantha walked up to him and wrapped her arm around him pulling him to the dance floor. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he placed his on her side, not too intimate I guess, I thought to myself. I couldn't help it though, the way she was seductively rubbing against him as they swayed around, I wanted to vomit right there, and the party mood was quickly gone. But then my faith was renewed when she tried to kiss him and he shoved her away, anger dominating his features, he started walking off stage and then his eyes met mine, and all the anger washed away. He ran to me as fast as he could and didn't stop until he had me in his arms spinning me around with my feet freely dangling from the ground and my dress swaying to the movement of the air around us.

       "There is my breathtakingly beautiful girl." He pecked my lips and slowly put me back down, but never took his arms away from my waist.

        "What took you so long?" I whispered with my signature smirk.

       "I was looking for the most beautiful girl in the room, I knew that would be my girl, but hiding in the corner is no fair." He stuck his lip out, "Would you do me the honor of dancing with me?"

      "Why yes I would, it would actually be my honor good sir." We laughed as he held my hand walking me to the dance floor. "You didn't tell me you lived in a freaking mansion."

      He rolled his eyes, "Would it have made a difference?"

      "It would have only confirmed, you are too good for me." I whispered casting my eyes down, I hated it, but it was the truth.

      He lifted my head up with his finger under my chin, "Eyes up here. And no, if anything I don't deserve you. But yes, my family is quite wealthy. I was a billionaire before I was thirteen with my trust fund, and when I am twenty-one, I am expected to take over my grandfather and father's empire business." He smirked at me and leaned to my ear, "I am a Prince of sorts, and you are my Princess. But one day I hope to have you as my queen." He kissed my cheek just beside my ear before pulling back and staring back at me. "Now I am ready for my prize." He smiled mischievously, and who was I to refuse my prince, I pulled him to me, and kissed him, right there in front of everyone, in the middle of the dance floor, underneath the chandelier, while the lights played like fairies around us. Magical, was the only word that came to mind.

       The next hour or so Jaxon didn't let me more than a step away from him. He kept his arm possessively around my waist and if anyone dared to speak to me, he only pulled me closer. There was something so primal about it, it made my heart race and my body crave more of that all night.

       "I need to go to the restroom," I whispered in his ear. We were standing at the table with the other football team players.

      "It's down that hall, second door on the left. You have ten minutes." He growled in my ear while pointing in the direction.

      I walked as fast as I could to the bathroom and walked in shutting the door behind me. I made quick with my business before stepping out of the stall and standing in front of the sink. Only to be met with two sets of evil bunnies standing behind me.

     "Well, well, first it's the boy next door, now new up and coming Hollywood Playboy, and now it's star football player, and wealthiest boy this side of the country. You will just spread your legs for anyone to get to the top, won't you." I turned around to stare Darlene down, hoping she swallows her venomous words.

      Samantha laughs, and it sounds like a hyena, "Oh dear, he likes action, he will come back to me, he always does." She walks over placing her hand on my shoulder. "It might not be today, or tomorrow, but rest assured, his daddy and mine are best friends, and he is meant to be mine. So don't get too attached to what is mine."

      "As if, I saw how he pushed you away," I spit at her. I was pissed, and truthfully, I had never stood up like that to anyone.

     She glared at me, and the next thing I knew the sound of her hand and my cheek resonated through the bathroom and my eyes stung with tears from the pain of the slap. "Now don't speak to me again like that. I can get much more violent. And if you breathe a word of this," she grabbed my hand twisting it backwards almost making me scream, but I wouldn't give her the satisfaction. "I will break this next time." And with that she drops my hand like it burnt her and they leave as quickly as they had entered.

      I slid down the wall and sat in the floor staring at the ceiling, "Oh Skyla, what have you got yourself into?" I said to no one. I quickly collected myself and eased out of the bathroom trying to stay out of sight of everyone. I didn't want Jaxon to see me, or Marie, the red hand print on my cheek would surely show, so I found my way to the other side, to the conference room where the parents were, I knew mom and dad would be here, and knowing them they would get me out of here.

      I stood behind a pillar until I spotted mom headed to the bathroom and I chased after her quickly. I pushed the door open and collapsed in the floor against it, waiting for her to come out.

      "Skyla?" I heard her sweet voice and opened my eyes to see my mom looking at me, anger in her eyes. "Who did that?" She pointed to my cheek.

      "Not important, can you take me home, quietly and quickly."

      "Yes, come on." She helped me back to my feet and it didn't take long for her to usher me to the parking lot where the car was parked. She pulled in the driveway and turned the car off, turning in her seat. "Skyla, you can talk to me, who did that, what's going on?"

     "Nothing mom, I just made a stupid mistake. I won't do it again." I kissed her cheek and rushed to the house to my room and locked myself in, where I planned on staying.

      I grabbed the phone off my bed where I had left it this morning and quickly texted Marie.

ME: Hey, I got sick, so mom brought me home, I will see you Monday. Fill me in later.

Marie: Are you okay? Jaxon is going crazy; he can't find you and the evil bunnies are hot on his trail.

Me: I am okay, just tell him I will see him Monday.

Marie: Okay.

      I threw my phone on the bed and went to the bathroom to take a shower, wash the fake off and change clothes. Looking in the mirror I could see the perfect hand print on my cheek, no wonder mom was furious. My phone dinged and walked over picking it up.

Jaxon: You left?

Me: I am sorry I wasn't feeling well.

Jaxon: I would have taken you home.

Me: I know, but mom was there, so I had her bring me, and you were having fun, I didn't want to bother you.

Jaxon: You are my number one, I will always put you first. Can I see you?

Me: I will see you Monday. XOXOXO

       With that I turned my phone off and threw it on the nightstand before grabbing Jaxon's jacket off the desk chair and wrapping it around me letting sleep consume. Another restless night.